1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for reconstructing a three-dimensional ultrasound image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Previously-known ultrasound systems may be used to display three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound images. However, these images may not be sufficiently accurate when the system displays, for example, a lesion or tissue of a patient during medical operations such as diagnosis, biopsy, and surgery.
Ultrasound systems typically employ a probe having one or more transducers that send acoustic pulses into a material. The pulses are reflected back to the probe after the pulses impinge upon materials having different acoustical characteristics. A subcutaneous body structure may be imaged based on the strength of the received pulses and time elapsed between transmission and receipt of the pulses. Pulse Repetition Frequency (PFR) is the number of times per second that a pulse is transmitted (e.g., transmitted from the probe). A high Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) scheme may be employed by the ultrasound system to generate three-dimensional ultrasound images of a rapidly moving object such as a heart of a human being in real time. Previously-known ultrasound systems have employed high PRF techniques using plane waves that produce a plurality of scan-line data at one time. However, ultrasound systems that use these techniques may generate too much noise and, consequently, display low resolution images.
Additionally, previously-known ultrasound systems may reconstruct three-dimensional images by interpolating two-dimensional image data generated by the system. This data may include information indicating how much of the total energy from the ultrasound system is radiating in a particular direction, known as directivity. Still, the systems that reconstruct three-dimensional images using these techniques are only capable of displaying relatively low resolution images due to noise generated by the system and limitations on the number of two-dimensional images that may be interpolated.